On 24 November 2024 South Yorkshire Police issued a press release outlining a search warrant that had been executed on 21 November 2024, leading to an arrest, as part of a wider, coordinated police investigation into the taking, possessing and trading of wild birds’ eggs (see here).
A few days later, Essex Police published a statement relating to a similar raid, resulting in the seizure of more eggs and another arrest (see here).
This morning, an article in The Guardian has provided more information about the scale of this international police operation, with coordinated raids also taking place in Scotland, Wales and Gloucester, as well as overseas.
These UK raids were part of Operation Pulka. They began in Norway in June 2023 resulting in 16 arrests and the seizure of 50,000 eggs. More raids followed in Australia with the seizure of up to 3,500 eggs.
The National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) says that intelligence suggests this is a single, international crime network and says it is the largest of its kind in the UK in terms of the number of eggs and the scale of the network.
Work is ongoing to count and identify the seized eggs.
The Guardian article is available here.
Raptor Persecution UK 
Ridiculous! Seeing birds flying free living their wild lives is so much more fun than possessing some dusty old empty egg-shells. Well done to all the authorities involved in breaking up this criminal ring.
Unless the courts start doing their job in terms of sentencing, the UK will remain a hot bed of wildlife crime in tis many forms
Unlike corporate sponsored crime in game shooting eggers are usually dealt with far more vigorously with many serious and serial offenders going to jail and getting criminal behaviour orders when released that make egging far more difficult and jail again for longer if they’re caught again. I wish similar penalties on the on the organised crime which is raptor persecution on shooting estates.
Yes, it’s a funny thing that the legal system quite rightly rejects any bullshit excuse from egg collectors that “they found the eggs in an old abandoned nest” yet when a keeper is found with a collection of leg rings hoarded away in biscuit tins and jam jars – nothing happens.
Or even when a cocky youth such as Archie Watson is braggart enough to put a couple of raptor leg rings on his keyring – still nothing happens!
Simple enough to rectify legally one might think, but then again the puppet masters that evidently control our laws seemingly won’t have it!
“Unless the courts start doing their job in terms of sentencing, the UK will remain a hot bed of wildlife crime in tis many forms”
There is a currently a Review of Sentencing being undertaken by the new Government, under the Chairmanship of a previous Government’s Justice Secretary, so that should go well.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/independent-sentencing-review-2024-to-2025
I have had my say. I also took the opportunity to alert campaigning wildlife and animal welfare organisations (RSPB, RSPCA, League Against Cruel Sports and Wild Justice).
I found out about it – Governments do not go out of their way to widely publicise consultations for some strange reason – from an official response to my most recent complaint about sentencing for wildlife crime and animal abuse…
The Government say “Give Us Your Views”:
https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/independent-sentencing-review-2024-to-2025-cfe/
Closes January 9th 2025.
Can’t believe it community service oh bless him !! What is wrong with this country protecting low life scumbags and no jail sentence unbelievable I know where I’d be hanging the birds leg tags and do it without local anesthesia .